what is geographic isolation

Geographic isolation is a term used to describe the physical separation of populations of organisms from one another due to geographical barriers. This separation can lead to speciation, which is the process by which new species are formed. When two populations of a species are separated by a geographic barrier, such as a mountain range or a body of water, they may evolve independently of each other due to differences in environmental conditions and selective pressures. Over time, these differences can accumulate and lead to the formation of new species that are no longer able to interbreed with each other. Examples of geographic isolation include a mountain range that prevents two types of goat from mating, causing the gene pool to become less varied, and an earthquake that causes two populations to become separate from each other.